


Stand By Me

by lightning_troubadour



Category: Hellsing
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Party, Fluff, Pre-Canon, Slow Dancing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-10-18 03:36:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17573120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lightning_troubadour/pseuds/lightning_troubadour
Summary: It was time for the young Integra Hellsing to take the lead of the Hellsing Organization, and her first major duty was to make sure that she could throw a Christmas Gala to rival her late father's. However, when the memories of her father bring her down, can Alucard cheer her up?





	Stand By Me

"Sir Integra," her butler, Walter C. Dornez, said, "It's almost time for the gala. Are you ready yet?"   
"I think so," she replied, turning around and showing Walter her dress. "You don't think it's too much, do you?"  
"Not at all, Sir Integra," he smiled, "you'll be the belle of the ball. I remember when you were just a little girl, and when your father was making his address he'd bring you up and have you sing a Christmas carol or two. Oh, they always loved it."   
"Yes, I remember too," Integra said. "I hope they don't expect me to get up and sing Christmas carols again, the leader of Hellsing must keep a certain reputation, don't you think?"  
"Yes, I'm afraid so," Walter replied. "I'll leave you to it, guests should be arriving any minute now."  
"Thank you, Walter, I'll be downstairs in a moment," Integra replied courteously as Walter shut the door, leaving her alone in the room. 

Integra picked up a photograph of herself and her father, taken when she was about four years old. Her mother had been dead since she was a child, she still could never find a decent photo of her. She carressed the picture gently, then set it down, trying not to let a tear fall and ruin the mascara she had applied. It took her two weeks to learn how to apply it without poking herself in the eye, and Alucard's remarks asking if she was trying to impress someone most certainly didn't help. She set the photo down, whispered, "Wish me luck, father," and walked out of her bedroom, ready to face the world in her first major public appearance as the leader of Hellsing. 

She entered the ballroom, where she remembered dancing the night away with her father every Christmas, and dazzling her father's friends, colleagues, and sponsors with her knowledge and poise at such a young age. She missed it very deeply. The band was set up and ready to play, the catering was provided, all she needed were guests. And soon enough, Mr. Shelby Penwood and his lovely wife, Martha, were lead into the ballroom by Walter. Integra greeted them both with a calm smile and demeanor, as she remarked how pleased she was that they had come early.

Slowly but surely, guests poured into the Hellsing mansion's ballroom, and the band was playing soft classical and holiday music to dance to. Integra made her way around the ballroom, shaking hands and receiving holiday wishes and condolences for the loss of her father. She took them all in stride, even the comments about how she seemed unfit to run Hellsing. She knew that she would prove them wrong. 

Soon, Integra was brought up to a podium at the front of the ballroom, as Mr. Penwood introduced her.  
"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we have the honor of hearing the head of the Hellsing organization, Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, speak in front of us just as her father did for so many years. She is the first female head of the organization, and the youngest to ever lead it. And I'm sure that she will make her family lineage very proud."   
As the applause rolled in, Integra stood up and kindly said, "Thank you, Mr. Penwood, we could not do what we do without you."  
"Good evening, friends, family, and peers of Hellsing," Integra began, "It brings me great joy to see you all here tonight. As you may know, with the sudden loss of my father, the legacy of Hellsing now falls upon my shoulders. It is a heavy burden, but it is one I am ready to carry. I am sure we all remember sitting in this room, listening to my father, the late Sir Arthur Hellsing, give a speech just like this every year, and I must admit, my speech may not be as grandiose as my father's, but I would like to think that it should suffice. This year, the Hellsing organization has neutralized dozens of supernatural threats to the United Kingdom, and it is all thanks to generous donations from our sponsors at the Royal Government, brave sacrifices made by our operatives, and, in many of these cases, my father's guidance. And with another year coming to an end, I must thank you all so very graciously for aiding and supporting us all in our work to keep our country safe. And here is to another year of prosperity, success, and good health to us all. Thank you." 

When her speech concluded, Integra was met with a grand applause, and she smiled and curtsied to the crowd. As she looked into the corridor by the ballroom door, she noticed a tall, shadowy figure leaning in the doorway, in a black suit. Alucard, her loyal servant and protector, was the closest thing Integra had to a friend. She wished that she could have thanked him in her speech for saving her life and thus the Hellsing legacy, but, she knew that to stroke his ego would mean to never hear the end of doing so. 

"That was an excellent speech you made back there, Master," Alucard said, impressed, "Your father would be very proud of you."   
"Thank you, Alucard, I hope he would be," Integra replied. "Aren't you going to join the party?"   
"No, no," Alucard said, "I've never been the type to rub elbows with aristocrats. I'm just here in case something goes wrong."   
"Alucard, there has never been an incident at a Hellsing Christmas party as long as I've been alive! There's no need for you to be on guard," Integra remarked, arms crossed at her chest. "Everything will be fine. The worst that's ever happened here is, well,"  
"Some blue blood trying to force her friends' sons on you?" Alucard smirked, baring his sharp teeth.   
"Oh, quiet, you," Integra huffed, "Just try to have a good time."   
"Yes, Master," Alucard nodded, entering the room, "And should anyone give you trouble tonight, I will never be too far away."

Integra spent most of the night interacting with fellow members of Hellsing, and various lords, ladies, and other nobles twice her age. All of the remarks on how grown up she looked and how proud her father would have been were growing dull. At first, she was very grateful for the compliments but as the night went on, it was like speaking to a collection of broken records that all played the same dull tune. As the band played on and on, a familiar tune began to play, the bassist thumping away at his upright bass. Stand By Me, by Ben E. King. Her father always loved that song, and taught her how to dance to that song. Integra always promised him that the father-daughter dance at her wedding would be that song, and every so often he'd pull out that old record player of his to play it for her. It was their song, the song that kept them together even in death. Integra felt her eyes welling up with tears, and her throat went tight with the pain that always throbbed inside her heart. She excused herself politely from conversation, a Hellsing could never be seen crying, and went toward the hallway to find the bathroom. She kept her head low so no one would see the tears fall. She slumped down in the hallway, sobbing softly, when Alucard approached her, and asked her a simple question. 

"Master, may I have this dance?" he asked, holding out a hand to her.   
"Alucard, what-" Was all she could reply before he interrupted her.  
"Please, my lady," he said, "Please, I can't bear to see you cry."  
She nodded, wiping her eye and standing up to take his arm.

The pair walked to the dance floor and began to waltz as the singer continued with the second verse.  
 _If the sky, that we look upon, should tumble and fall, and the mountain should crumble to the sea..._  
Integra took his hand as he, despite towering over her, placed a hand gently on her upper back. She had to place her hand upon his back since she was not tall enough to reach his shoulders, yet their free hands met together. They stepped front, back, side to side, the way she had learned to. It was proper, but not awkward in the slightest. Dancing with Alucard was just like dancing with her father, she thought, as they turned with grace. He lead her gently, not wanting to hurt her but still firmly, just as her father did. He was there almost as a guide for her, as the crowd gathered around to watch Miss Hellsing and her bodyguard dance. Alucard lifted his arm for the girl to spin under as Integra's tears turned to contented laughter. She didn't know Alucard could even dance, let alone well. They stayed close to one another as the strings played on, and her smile lit up her whole face. The pair continued to dance, spinning and stepping in time with the music, as the song rose to a flowing crescendo. She hadn't felt this happy in months, ever since she lost her father she couldn't even think of dancing, but Alucard had found a way to make it okay, to make the pain more bearable. She felt elated, like her father had come back to her through Alucard. He was very rarely this gentle, this understanding, perhaps her father had come back to her? She looked into his red eyes as he spun her, she could see a warmth she hadn't seen before. 

As the song drew to a close, the two dance partners stepped apart from one another as Alucard bowed and Integra curtsied. The small crowd which had formed around them clapped, some cheering softly. Integra beamed, feeling like she was walking on clouds. She hadn't felt like this since before Father died, she thought, and she hoped that he could see her now.   
She looked at Alucard, and whispered, "Thank you."  
"Anything for you, Master," he whispered back, leaning in, "Care for another dance?"  
"Certainly," she replied, and the two joined hands again as the band played their next song.   
The pair got back to their waltz, elegantly taking the floor, as other couples began to join. Soon, the room as alive as Integra remembered it being as a little girl, and she was right in the middle of it all. She was nearly expecting at any second to be told that it was her bedtime, and to have Walter escort her to her room, but she didn't have to go to bed. Now, she was able to dance the night away. She had spent her time dancing with Alucard, Mr. Penwood, and others as well before the night was over. It felt strange for her to be so free after the past few months she had, but to her, it was the greatest strange feeling of all time. The first Christmas without her father was a hard one, but a night like this certainly made her feel like things were going to be alright.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is my first Hellsing fic and first time writing a dance sequence, so excuse me for not knowing what I'm doing. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!


End file.
